Foundations of AI and Deception

This unit introduces students to foundational concepts in artificial intelligence, the historical and modern mechanics of deception, and the emergence and impacts of synthetic media. Learners examine how AI-generated content interacts with human cognition and social systems and practice introductory cognitive-security and media-literacy strategies that prepare them for deeper technical, ethical, and defensive work in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze historical and contemporary examples of deception and scams to explain how digital technologies and synthetic media amplify traditional persuasion and fraud techniques
• Explain foundational AI concepts, key milestones, and the central debates about whether AI ‘understands’ to contextualize current synthetic-content capabilities and limitations
• Evaluate the cognitive, social, and ethical implications of synthetic media and identify why these forms of content commonly bypass human defenses
• Apply introductory cognitive-security and media-literacy strategies to detect, assess, and mitigate the influence of deceptive or synthetic content in digital environments